Abstract ID: 3.14120 | Accepted as Talk | Talk | TBA | TBA

Mountain regions face increasingly complex challenges, including urban-to-rural migration influenced by COVID-19, extreme climate effects, and economic vulnerabilities. Despite clear warning signs in alpine landscapes, systemic transformation is often hindered by a reluctance to engage with uncertainty and complexity. Pluralism—the ability to integrate diverse ways of knowing and being across cultures, disciplines, and worldviews—is increasingly recognized as essential for navigating such complexity. Building on recent doctoral research in systemic design (Fitzpatrick, 2025), this study explores how plural understandings of resilience in mountain communities can inform pathways toward regenerative futures. Building on the adaptive waves model (Luthe & Wyss, 2025), diverse understandings of resilience are explored through situated and emergent place-based transdisciplinary processes across three international mountain communities: Ostana (Italy), Hemsedal (Norway), and Mammoth Lakes (California). Using a research-through-design approach that integrates science, design, and embodied practices, we examined how the adaptive waves model can be applied beyond its conceptual framing to lived experiences. Plural methods included visual mapping, interactive booklets, outdoor mind-body movement exercises, inner resilience practices, theater performances, and role-play. Additionally, we developed “micro-waves” to illustrate the varied scales of resilience phases within mountain communities, revealing differences across individuals and community subgroups (Figure 1). The findings underscore the importance of facilitating awareness of how worldviews and cultural perspectives shape resilience. This work contributes to advancing methodological pluralism in resilience research, advocating for approaches that embrace diverse epistemologies and lived experiences. We suggest that future research could refine participatory and experiential methodologies to explore resilience across different cultural and ecological contexts. Furthermore, integrating these insights into policy and community decision-making could support more locally relevant, culturally responsive resilience strategies, fostering transformative pathways for mountain communities.